This document discusses how repositories can support users in achieving FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles for data management and stewardship. It explains how repositories can help with each of the FAIR principles by providing globally unique identifiers, tools for rich metadata, indexing metadata, standardized access protocols, and support for licensing, attribution and community standards. The document also discusses challenges repositories face in achieving full interoperability and some potential areas of agreement like common metadata and accessibility APIs.

1. ACHIEVING FAIR
Figshare Fest – November 15 2018
Luiz Bonino – luiz.bonino@go-fair.org

2. FAIR PRINCIPLES
Findable:
F1. (meta)data are assigned a globally unique and persistent
identifier;
F2. data are described with rich metadata;
F3. metadata clearly and explicitly include the identifier of the
data it describes;
F4. (meta)data are registered or indexed in a searchable
resource;
Accessible:
A1. (meta)data are retrievable by their identifier using a
standardized communications protocol;
A1.1 the protocol is open, free, and universally
implementable;
A1.2. the protocol allows for an authentication and
authorization procedure, where necessary;
A2. metadata are accessible, even when the data are no longer
available;
Interoperable:
I1. (meta)data use a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly
applicable language for knowledge representation.
I2. (meta)data use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles;
I3. (meta)data include qualified references to other
(meta)data;
Reusable:
R1. (meta)data are richly described with a plurality of accurate and
relevant attributes;
R1.1. (meta)data are released with a clear and accessible data
usage license;
R1.2. (meta)data are associated with detailed provenance;
R1.3. (meta)data meet domain-relevant community
standards;
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201618

3. FAIR DATA PRINCIPLES - METADATA
Findable:
F1. metadata are assigned a globally unique and persistent
identifier;
F2. data are described with rich metadata;
F3. metadata clearly and explicitly include the identifier of the
data it describes;
F4. metadata are registered or indexed in a searchable
resource;
Accessible:
A1. metadata are retrievable by their identifier using a
standardized communications protocol;
A1.1 the protocol is open, free, and universally
implementable;
A1.2. the protocol allows for an authentication and
authorization procedure, where necessary;
A2. metadata are accessible, even when the data are no longer
available;
Interoperable:
I1. metadata use a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly
applicable language for knowledge representation.
I2. metadata use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles;
I3. metadata include qualified references to other metadata;
Reusable:
R1. metadata are richly described with a plurality of accurate and
relevant attributes;
R1.1. metadata are released with a clear and accessible data
usage license;
R1.2. metadata are associated with detailed provenance;
R1.3. metadata meet domain-relevant community standards;
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201618

4. FAIR DATA PRINCIPLES – DATA/DIGITAL RESOURCES
Findable:
F1. data are assigned a globally unique and persistent
identifier;
F2. data are described with rich metadata;
F3. metadata clearly and explicitly include the identifier of the
data it describes;
F4. data are registered or indexed in a searchable resource;
Accessible:
A1. metadata are retrievable by their identifier using a
standardized communications protocol;
A1.1 the protocol is open, free, and universally
implementable;
A1.2. the protocol allows for an authentication and
authorization procedure, where necessary;
A2. metadata are accessible, even when the data are no longer
available;
Interoperable:
I1. data use a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly applicable
language for knowledge representation.
I2. data use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles;
I3. data include qualified references to other (meta)data;
Reusable:
R1. metadata are richly described with a plurality of accurate and
relevant attributes;
R1.1. metadata are released with a clear and accessible data
usage license;
R1.2. metadata are associated with detailed provenance;
R1.3. metadata meet domain-relevant community standards;
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201618

5. FAIR DATA PRINCIPLES – SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
Findable:
F1. (meta)data are assigned a globally unique and
persistent identifier;
F2. data are described with rich metadata;
F3. metadata clearly and explicitly include the identifier
of the data it describes;
F4. (meta)data are registered or indexed in a searchable
resource;
Accessible:
A1. (meta)data are retrievable by their identifier using a
standardized communications protocol;
A1.1 the protocol is open, free, and universally
implementable;
A1.2. the protocol allows for an authentication and
authorization procedure, where necessary;
A2. metadata are accessible, even when the data are no
longer available;
Interoperable:
I1. (meta)data use a formal, accessible, shared, and
broadly applicable language for knowledge
representation.
I2. (meta)data use vocabularies that follow FAIR
principles;
I3. (meta)data include qualified references to other
(meta)data;
Reusable:
R1. (meta)data are richly described with a plurality of
accurate and relevant attributes;
R1.1. (meta)data are released with a clear and
accessible data usage license;
R1.2. (meta)data are associated with detailed
provenance;
R1.3. (meta)data meet domain-relevant community
standards;
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201618

6. REPOSITORIES ROLES IN FAIR
 As services to store (and manage) digital objects (metadata, data, vocabularies,
ontologies, etc.
 Provide facilities for their users to achieve higher levels of FAIRness
 Can guarantee a minimal level of FAIRness independent of further users efforts on the content
 As digital objects themselves
 Should also observe the FAIR principles
 At least FAIR metadata
 Improve interoperability among repositories

7. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Findable:
F1. (meta)data are assigned a globally unique and persistent identifier;
How?
Provide globally unique and persistent identifiers for the
submitted metadata and data

8. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Findable:
F2. data are described with rich metadata;
How?
Help users to provide as rich metadata as possible to help
others to find their digital resources

9. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Findable:
F2. data are described with rich metadata;
Example

10. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Findable:
F3. metadata clearly and explicitly include the identifier of the data it describes;
How?
Automatically include the identifier of the target digital
object in its metadata

11. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Findable:
F4. (meta)data are registered or indexed in a searchable resource;
How?
Index or facilitate the indexing of the metadata

12. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Findable:
F4. (meta)data are registered or indexed in a searchable resource;
Example

13. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Accessible:
A1. (meta)data are retrievable by their identifier using a standardized communications protocol;
A1.1 the protocol is open, free, and universally implementable;
A1.2. the protocol allows for an authentication and authorization procedure, where necessary;
How?
Provide accessibility on the Web, with security measures
when necessary

14. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Accessible:
A2. metadata are accessible, even when the data are no longer available;
How?
Maintain metadata even when the target digital object is no
longer available

15. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Interoperable:
I1. (meta)data use a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly applicable language for knowledge
representation.
How?
Serialize the metadata using a formal, accessible, shared
and broadly applicable knowledge representation language.
E.g., RDF/JSON-LD

16. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Interoperable:
I2. (meta)data use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles;
How?
As vocabularies can also be stored in repositories, they
should also achieve a level of FAIRness

17. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Interoperable:
I3. (meta)data include qualified references to other (meta)data;
How?
Repositories can provide facilities to support the inclusion of
qualified references to other (meta)data, e.g., semantic
annotations.

18. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Interoperable:
I3. (meta)data include qualified references to other (meta)data;
Example

19. What ?
• Enrich data records and content with semantic tags, free-text keywords or comments
without changing the (meta)data and the (meta)data record
• Manage & Share annotations
• Integrate with data repositories
• Search annotated data
Why ?
• Improve data discoverability with semantics and user-defined annotations
• Retrieve and aggregate heterogeneous files from distributed sources
How it works?
• Easy-to-use annotation client
• Three types of annotations: semantic tag, free-text keyword, comment
• Auto-completion for semantic annotations (Semantic Index)
• Based on W3C Web Annotation data model
How it integrates?
• Integrate client as widget within data service UI (HTML iFrame)
• Interact through RESTful API (Annotation initialization and retrieval)
• Store annotations in centralized annotation store or deploy local store
Contact: Yann Le Franc ylefranc@esciencefactory.com
B2NOTE – A DATA ANNOTATION SERVICE

20. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Reusable:
R1. (meta)data are richly described with a plurality of accurate and relevant attributes;
R1.1. (meta)data are released with a clear and accessible data usage license;
R1.2. (meta)data are associated with detailed provenance;
R1.3. (meta)data meet domain-relevant community standards;
How?
Help users to apply license as well as to provide detailed
provenance and adopt community standards on their digital
objects (and metadata).

21. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Reusable:
R1. (meta)data are richly described with a plurality of accurate and relevant attributes;
R1.1. (meta)data are released with a clear and accessible data usage license;
R1.2. (meta)data are associated with detailed provenance;
R1.3. (meta)data meet domain-relevant community standards;
Example
R1.1
R1.2

22. REPOSITORIES SUPPORTING USERS TO ACHIEVE FAIR
Findable:
F1. (meta)data are assigned a globally unique and persistent
identifier;
F2. data are described with rich metadata;
F3. metadata clearly and explicitly include the identifier of the
data it describes;
F4. (meta)data are registered or indexed in a searchable
resource;
Accessible:
A1. (meta)data are retrievable by their identifier using a
standardized communications protocol;
A1.1 the protocol is open, free, and universally
implementable;
A1.2. the protocol allows for an authentication and
authorization procedure, where necessary;
A2. metadata are accessible, even when the data are no longer
available;
Interoperable:
I1. (meta)data use a formal, accessible, shared, and broadly
applicable language for knowledge representation.
I2. (meta)data use vocabularies that follow FAIR principles;
I3. (meta)data include qualified references to other
(meta)data;
Reusable:
R1. (meta)data are richly described with a plurality of accurate and
relevant attributes;
R1.1. (meta)data are released with a clear and accessible data
usage license;
R1.2. (meta)data are associated with detailed provenance;
R1.3. (meta)data meet domain-relevant community
standards;

23. REPOSITORIES - CHALLENGES FOR BEING FAIRER
 Repositories have, of course, complete freedom to implement their functionality.
However, we argue that, with a minimal set of agreed upon elements, repositories
could provide a higher level of interoperability among themselves. This would
facilitate indexing of their offered metadata, tools being able to interact with different
repositories, better integration among complementary services (e.g., a data repository
able to integrate with a vocabulary and metadata template repositories to facilitate
metadata definition).
 What could be done?
 Agree on a common metadata representation;
 Agree on (meta)data accessibility APIs
 Agree on the adoption of vocabularies containing terms to represent the different types of
digital objects stored in repositories, e.g., datasets, metadata, ontologies, etc.

24. CONTACT INFO
Luiz Bonino
International Technology Coordinator – GO FAIR
Associate Professor BioSemantics – LUMC
E-mail: luiz.bonino@go-fair.org
Skype: luizolavobonino
Web: www.go-fair.org